Method and device for taking cinematographic pictures



Nov. 4 1924. 1,514,069

ALEXANDER v ROTHE METHOD AND DEVICE FOR TAKING CINEMATOGRAPHIC PICTURES Filed Feb. 28 1921 Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

UNITED STATES ALEXANDER v. BOTHE, OF BERLIN-WILMERSDORF, GERMANY.

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR TAKING CINEMATOGRAPHIC PICTURES.

Application fled February 28, 1921. Serial No. 448,651.

(GRANTED UNDER PROVISIONS TE ACT OF IARCK 3, 1921, 41 STAT. L, 1818.)

To allwhomitmay concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER V. R01 a citizen of Germany, residing at Berlin- Wilmersdorf, Germany, have invented cerl. tain new and useful Improvements in Methods and Devices for Taking Cinematographic Pictures, of which the followin is a specification.

%his invention relates to a method and device in connection with the taking of cinematographic pictures at a close range within rooms, more particularly with the reproduction on a film of surgical operations. The attempts hitherto made to so reproduce surgical operations, and the like, on a film that when the film is subsequently screened it will be possible to observe all the details of the operation such as will be required in connection with films intended for teaching purposes, have led to no satisfactory results. For one thing it was found that, particularly in the case of surgical operations, in order to avoid obstructing or embarrassing the movements of the operating physician and of his assistants, the apparatus could not be so closely approached to the part or wound operated upon as to enable all the details thereof to be reproduced sufiiciently clearly on the film.

My invention intends to obviate this drawback by the fact of the apparatus being arranged in direct reach of the o crating physician, say, for example, suspen ed from the ceiling above the operating table. By means of this improved arrangement it is possible to bring the apparatus quite close to the part operated upon without the ap paratus becomin either an impediment to the physician and his staff, or these in their turn hindering or preventing the taking of the film. All the o erating physician will be required to atten to in this connection is to take care that he does not, relatively to the objective, happen to shut out or cover, either with his head or his hands, the very sections of the part to be taken the view of which at the instant would be of special interest to the observer.

Moreover, when takin pictures at a very close range it will, un er certain circumstances be diflicult to constantly secure satisfactory lights, because both the acting persons as also the apparatus itself are liable to throw shadows. To this end and in p the invention removed accordance with this invention, the lights EB, are supplied from difierent directions;

A peculiar drawback hitherto connected with the photographing of surgical operations resided in the necessity of using arc lamps for the purpose of obtaining the satisfactorily intense lights required, and this in so far as arc lamps, when arranged within an operating-room, are liable to impair the asepsis by the development or the raising of dust within the chamber, whereas by arranging the light derived from a source located outside of the chamber in such a manner that it shall enter sideways (a methodalready employed in connection with lighting operating-rooms with diffused light? will in this case hardly allow a suifi cient y intense light to be thrown on the part operated upon.

This disadvantage a ain is, according to I by disposing the lighting means above a transparent ceiling o the room, say, for example in the sk light chamber of an operating room. The rays are reflected downward preferably by means of mirrors also suitably arranged above the transparent ceiling. The arrangement of these mirrors constitutes an important feature because the ordinary reflectors of downwardly directed arc lamps are liable to be covered with smoke.

Fig. 1 of the drawing shows by way of example an embodiment of the invention in a perspective view, parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 shows a modified detail.

In Fig. 1 the numeral a denotes the operating-room, having a glass-ceiling m. Through this latter there is arranged to pass a guide tube 6 supported on girders n by a support 0. Within the tube e formin a clamp at its lower end a suspension tu e j 95 is guided, to the lower end of which the cinematographic apparatus f is attached. By displacing the tube j longitudinally within the tube e, the apparatus may be adjusted in height. The apparatus is operated by an electromotor hand may, if desired, be surrounded by a casing 71 having for the sake of asepsis a substantially even and smooth outer surface. In order to render it unnecessary for a special operator to be present within the operating-room for the purpose of taking the picture, the switch device h, serving to actuate the apparatus, may be I arranged outside of the operating-room altogether, say, in an adjoining chamber g. If preferred, however, the switch device may likewise be disposed so as to be within easy reach of the operating physician, so that this latter will be enable to attend to the ap paratus himself not only as concerns its adjustment, but also as regards the switching on or off of the current.

For lighting purposes there are arranged above the glass ceiling m a number of lamps d, the light derived from which is reflected by means of adjustable mirrors a from various directions on to the operating table. It is obvious that not the entire ceiling m need be made of glass, as is frequently the case in connection with operating-rooms, since it will perfectly suffice if in a room not provided with a glass-ceiling, a requisite number of glass-panes 1 (Fig. 2) be fitted into the ceiling p immediately below the reflecting mirrors 0, within the range'of the rays of light emanating from these mirrors.

I claim 1. A device for taking cinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations, in enclosed rooms, comprising a cinematographic camera adjustably depending from the ceiling of the room, and means for lighting the operation field.

2. A device for taking cinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations, in enclosed rooms, comprising a guide member depending from the ceiling, a suspension member adjustably mounted thereon, a cinematographic apparatus attached to the end of said suspension member, and means for lighting the object to be cinematographed.

3. A device for takingcinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations, in enclosed rooms, com- .prising a guide tube depending from the ceiling, a suspension rod adjustably mounted therein, a vcinematographic apparatus at tached to the end of said suspension rod, and means for lighting the object to be cinematographed.

4. A device for taking cinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations, in enclosed rooms, com prising a guidemember depending from the ceiling, a suspension member adjustably mounted thereon, a motor-driven cinematographic apparatusattached to the end of said suspension member, and means for lighting the object tobe cinematographed.

5. A device for taking cinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations, in enclosed rooms, comprising a guide member depending from the ceiling, a suspension rod adjustably mounted therein, al'motor-driven cinematographic apparatus attached to the end of said suspension rod, and means for lighting the object to be cinematographed.

6. A derice for taking cinematographic picture of; operations, more particularly surgical operations, in enclosed rooms, comprising a cinematographic apparatus depending trom the ceiling of the room, means 7 for adjusting the level of said apparatus and means for lighting the operation field bv rays of light projected from different direc tions.

'7. A device for taking cinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations in enclosed rooms. comprising a cinematographic apparatus depending from the ceiling, a motor-drivefor said camera, and lighting means comprising mirrors disposed above the said apparatus.

8. A device for taking cinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations in enclosed rooms, comprising a guide member, means for suspending said guide member, a suspension memberradjustably mounted in said guide memher, a motor-driven cinen'iatographic apparatus attached thereto, and light sources and mirrors disposed above the'ceiling'said ceiling being transparent.

9. A device for taking cinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations in enclosed rooms, com' prising a guide member traversing the ceiling', means arranged above the'ceiling for suspending said guide member, a suspension member adjustably mounted within said guide member, .a cinematographic apparatus attached to the end of said'suspension memher, and lighting means disposed above said ceiling, which is transparent at least within the range of the rays directed towards the operation field. I

10. A levice for taking cinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations, in enclosed rooms, comprising a guide member depending from the ceiling, a suspension member adpistable along said guide member, a cinematographic camera attached to'the end of said suspension member, and means for lighting the operation field.

11. A device for taking cinematographic camera attached to the end of said suspension member, and light sources and mirrors disposed above the ceiling, said ceiling being transparent.

13. A device for taking cinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations, in enclosed rooms, comprising a supporting member traversing the ceiling, means arranged above the ceiling for suspending said supporting member, a cinematographic apparatus attached to the end of said supporting member. and means :for lighting the operation field.

l t. A device for taking cinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations, in enclosed rooms, comprising a guide member traversing the ceiling, means arranged above the ceiling for suspending said guide member, a suspension member adjustable along said guide member, a cinematographic camera attached to the end of said suspension member, and means for lighting the operation field.

15. A device for taking cinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations, in enclosed rooms, com

prising a supporting member suspended above the ceiling and traversing the ceiling, a cinematographic camera attached to the end of said supporting member, and lighting means disposed above said ceiling which is transparent at least within the range of the rays directed towards the operation field.

16. In combination, a cinematographic apparatus; and means for suspending the cinematographic apparatus on an adjustable level from the ceiling of an operating room in reach of the operating person; said suspending means being tree of obstructions interfering with any lateral access to a patient being operated upon.

17. A .device for use in an enclosed operating room suitable for surgical operations with a table therein, said device compris= ing a cinematographic apparatus; and means for suspending the cinematographic apparatus on an adjustable level from the ceiling of the room above the table in reach of the operating person; said room table and the suspending means being free of obstructing structures interfering with any lateral access to a patient on the table, whereby taking cinematographic pictures of surgical operations is facilitatev ithout interfering with the operation. I

18. In combination, a cinematographic apparatus; and means for suspending the cinematographic apparatus on an adjustable level from the ceiling of a room; said suspending means being free of obstructing structure interfering with any lateral access to a patient beneath the apparatus; whereby cinematographic pictures may be made of surgical operations without interfering with the operation.

19. In combination, an enclosed operating room suitable for surgical operations on a table therein; a cinematographic apparatus; and means for suspending the cinematographic apparatus on an adjustable level from the ceiling of the room above the table; said room, table, apparatus and the suspending means being free of obstructing structure interfering with any lateral access to a patient on the table.

20. A device for taking cinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations, comprising a suspension member, a cinematographic camera attached to said suspension member, means for adjusting the level of said camera, and a motor drive for said camera.

21. A device for taking cinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations, comprising acinematographic camera depending from the ceiling, means for adjusting the level of said camera, and a motor-drive for said camera.

22. A device for taking cinematographic pictures of operations, more particularly surgical operations, in enclosed rooms, com prising a supporting member depending from the ceiling, a cinematographic camera attached to the end of said supporting member, means for adjusting the level of said camera, and means for lighting the operation field.

In testimony whereof I afiix my! signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER v. ROTHE.

Witnesses I KIETHE LOUP, Lno UNGER. 

